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SWAMI DAYANAND SARASWATI 


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BELIEFS OF SWAMI DAYANAND SARASWATI. 


Saty»m eva jayate na auritam— Mundakopanisdat ,—III. 6. 
Truth alone trimphs, but not fiction. 



The final conclusion of philosophy, acquiesced in by mankind in 
all times, is the only true, eternal and universal doctrine, which readily 
obtains the implicit assent of common sense. If the folly of ignoranoe 
or the snare of priestcraft misleads some persons to contrary beliefs, 
the good sense of people in general does not voluntarily comply with 
them. But the doctrine, which commands veneration for teaching 
righteousness, generosity, honesty, and justice, and which is stamped 
with the saction and example of the learned, receives the general 
approval; for, the mind revolts to follow what is unsupported by the 
sound judgment of reason and the invariable practice of sages. The 
outline, therefore, of what was believed by the refined reason of all the 
oriental sages of antiquity from Brahma down to Jaimini, versed in 
the sacred lore of the Vedas, is hereto subjoined for general informa¬ 
tion. The truth which they have taught, and which I sincerely 
acknowledge, is entitled to universal acceptation in all times. Hence, 
it is not my object to institute a new system of religion in any manner 
whatever. I love to follow truth, nay, I have made it my duty to 
persuade others to act on truth and abjure falsehood for the sake of 
their own good. So, the eradication of iniquities is the object of my 
life. Had I been a dupe to prejudice, I would have joined any one 
of the religious sects of India. But, since I neither accept what is 
vicious, nor reject what is virtuous in the institutions either of this, 
or of any foreign couotry, I am incapable of dissimulation'/ for, it is 
contrary to the duty of man. The dignity of man is justified by his 
sympathy for the pleasure and pain, profit and loss of his fellow-crea¬ 
tures, by the undaunted attitude he can assuma against the power of 
vice, and by bis respect for the merits of virtue and learning, although 



( 2 ) 


a ( >soeiafed with the feebleness of constitution. Man asserts his digni tf f 
when, to the best of his power, he' loves virtue, although exhibited in 
a state of poverty, helplessness, weakness, and unacquaintance with the 
knowledge of the world. The grave responsibility and true nature of 
man are best exhibited by bis affording protection, comfort, and 
honour to the children of virtue. Man’s sense of virtue ever prompts 
him to dishonour, discourage, diminish, and destroy vice, although 
guarded by supremacy, strength, and considerable skill in the arts of 
the world. In fine, a man, true to his name, should, by all possible 
means, encourage virtue and discourage vice. The most excruciating 
pain, nay, death itself, should not deter him from his pursuit of the 
eourse-of virtue ; for, the least deflection from righteousness would 
belie his human nature. Such a moral discipline has received the 
recommendation of Maharajah-Bhartrihari and other moralists in the 
following translation of their verses :— 

The wise do not swerve from the path of rectitude, caring neither 
for the praise nor blame of the so-called politicians, nor for riches or 
poverty, althouoh they were to die in a day or after the lapse of a 
millennium .—Bhcirtvi Han. 

Never sacrifice virtue for fear, base desire, avarice, or pain of 
death itself; for, virtue, which gives happiness to the mind, is everlast¬ 
ing, but pleasure and pain, which originate tiom the circumstances of 
the body, are transitory.— Mahabharat. 

There is only one true companion of man on earth, and that is virtue. 
It accompanies him even after death ; but everything else perishes with 
the body. — Manu. 

It is not falsehood but truth that ultimately ^prevails. It leads 
us to heaven by the royal road trodden by the ancient sages of sub¬ 
dued passions and curtailed desires. It lands us on the brilliant 
shore, and lodges us safe in the heaven of happiness.— Upanishat. 

There is no virtue higher than truth, there is no vice baser than 
falsehood, there is no knowledge greater than truth. Truth, therefore, 
.and truth alone, all must follow.— Upanishat. 

All men should act upon the disinterested advice of these truly 
great sages. 


( 3 ) 

How, to mention briefly those simple truths with their proper 
meanings, which I have always believed in, and which have served me 
as it were, for the beacon of light in crossing the tempestuous ocean of 
life upon the earth. They are described at large iu my works. 

1. The Supreme Bung is called by the names of Brahma (the 
Must High) Paramatma (the Soul of the universe), the Almighty Lord, 
and the like. His chief attributes are denoted by the Sanscrit formula 
of “ Satckitanand ,” which literally-signifies that God is truth, intelli¬ 
gence, and happiness. God is absolutely holy and wise. His nature , 
attributes, and power are all holy. He is omnipresent, incorporeal, 
unborn, immense, omnicient, omnipotent, merciful, and just. He i* 
the maker, protector and destroyer of worlds. He judges the actijns 
of souls according to His immutable laws of justice and equity. Him 
I consider and believe from the core of my heart to be the Lord of 
the universe. 

2. The Vedas, the treasury of science and morals, are revealed 
by God. I regard their textual portion as self-evident truth, admitting 
ef no-doubt and depending on the authority of no other book, being 
represented in nature, the kingdom of God. It is the condition of all 
kinds of proof, and is, therefore, capable of being proved by no other 
demonstration than by reduotioad absurdnni. As for example, the 
sun or the lamp, being self-luminous bodies, require no light from 
without. 

The authenticity of commentaries on the Vedas, called in Sanscrit 
the 4 Brahmanas, 6 Angas, 6 Upaugas, 4 Upavedas, and 1,127 
Shakhas, all composed by Brahma and other sages, lies in their, 
adherence to the text, the least departure from which annihilates their 
authority. 

3. Religion consists in the maintenance of impartiality and. 
justice, the speaking of truth, and the similar acts of vitiue f whi_,h are 
the commandments of God, and are, therefore, consistent with the 
import of the Vedas. Jrreligion is the commission of partiality and 
injpstice, the telling of lies, and the like acts of vice, which are the 
violation of God’s laws, and are, therefore, opposed to the sense of 
the Vedas.. 


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4. The soul is an immortal, invisible principle, which is endowed 
<with thought aud judgment, desire and passion, pleasure and pain, 
and so forth. 

5. Gad and soul are both incorporeal and unchangeable, and are 
related o each other as the pervader and the pervaded. The distinc-. 
tion of their respective individualities is constant, in other words, their 
physical natures are not identical. For instance, the material objects 
are always distinct from the space they exist in ; both of them,— vi*- 
objects and space,—can never be converted, either in thought or in 
reality, into one homogeneous whole. Hence, the relation between 
God and man is the same as between the container and the contained, 
the contemplate? and the contemplated, the father and the son, and 
the like. 

6. The eternal substances are 1. God, 2. Soul, 3. Prakriii or 
the material cause ot the universe. The primary properties, the 
physical nature, and the modes of action of the eternal substances 
are also ever the same. 

7. The manifestation! of their secondary qualities, accidents and 
©nergies constantly occur on their coalition aud disappear on their 
separation \ but their inherent power, whieh produces their union and 
disunion, is invariable in their nature. They again and again unite 
and disunite in eternity. Thus the secondary qualities are also eternal 
in their regularity of succession. 

8. The creation is the vast empire of the visible objects, the com¬ 
pounds of elements, constructed with all perfection of design by the 
infinite wisdom of the Divine Architect. 

9. The final causes of creation are the Divine powers, the 
equitable bestowal of rewards and punishments on the actions of souls, 
and the like. The eyes, for example, are to see with ; so the attributes 
of God exist to be revealed for general weal by the wonderful spectacle 
of nature. 

10. The creation points to its creator : and He is no other than 
the aforesaid Deity ; for, the display of design in the structure of the 
universe, and the inability of matter to form, say, the seed and the 


( 5 ) 

like preliminaries of existence, conclusively demonstrate the certainty 
of the existence of a creator. 

11. The phenomenon of birth and death, like all other things, 
is not without a final cause. That cause is in Sanscrit called ,l bandh r — 
a strap-door, so to speak, in the march of mind. It springs from 
ignorance, which consists in the perpetration of vicious acts, the 
worship of objects in place of God, and the obseurity of intellect. As 
they are all the various sources of pain, which no body likes, bub 
which everybody is constrained to suffer, their cause is called (l bandk ” 
or captivity. 

12. Salvation is the state of emancipation from the endurance 
of pain, and subjection to birth and death, and of the life of liberty 
and happiness in the immensity of God. After the cyclic enjoyment 
of the stupendous universe, the soul resumes the course of its native 
activity. 

13. The means of salvation are the contemplation of God, the- 
abstraction of mind, the practice of virtue, the vow of celibacy in the 
time of education, the society of sages and philosophers, the love of 
knowledge, the purity of thought, the firmness of courage, and the 
like qualifications which are the ornaments of humanity. 

14. "Wealth is a thing, earned with honesty and justice. Its 
opposite is the Mammon of unrighteousness. 

15. Innocent pleasures are got by virtue *nd well-earned wealth. 

16. The system of caste shoull be based on the merits of in- 

» 

dividuals. 

) 

17. The excellence of royalty is derived from the honesty of in¬ 
tentions, the superiority of qualities, the justness of acts, freedom 
from partiality, the maintenance of justice, the ardour of paternal 
affection for subjects, and the perseverance in studying their ease and 
improvement. 

18. The loyalty of subjects is shown in the sublimity of thoughts, 
the excellence of accomplishments, the practice of virtue, the sincerity 
of intentions, the absence of prejudice, the obedience to the laws of 
justice, the sense of duty, the readiness of devotion to the cause of the 


C 6 y 


rulers and the fellow-subjects, the love for government, the' hatred for 
intrigues, and the abhorrence of licentiousness. 

19. That person is just, who, on due consideration of things^ 
adopts truth and relinquishes falsehood, protects the just and expels 
the unjust, sympathises with all and joins in undertakings for the pro¬ 
motion of ease and comfort of the general public. 

20. The learned are called devas (gods), the ignorant arsuras 
(devils), the vicious rakskasas (fiends), and the hypocrites yishachas 
(monsters). 

21. The worship of God consists in the respect and service of 
learned and virtuous men, parents, sages, philosophers, preachers and 
kings ; in the fidelity of marriage contract ; and in the devotion of 
women to their husbands. The contrary acts constitute the worship 
of demons. All worship is due to their living images, and not to the 
use.ess idols of lifeless stone. 

22. The perfection of education is attested by the competency 
of knowledge, the adoption of civilized manners, the performance of 
meritorious woiks, the subjection cf senses, the control of passions and 
wicked desires, the improvement of character, and the absence of 
barbarism. 

23. The proper Piiranas (ancient books) are the works of 
Brahmfi and other sages of antiquity, called the Aitrreya and the 
other three Brahmanas. The genuine history is found in the book a- 
called Kalya (chronicles), Gatha (story), Navashansi (biographie s 
of men). But the Bhagwat and the other seventeen Piiranas are 
mythology, religious comedies, novels, mysteries, or miracles. 

24. Tiie Tiratha (religious ferry) is the spiritual ark, by which 
the sea of sorrow or the abyss of pain is crossed. Hence, the Tirathas 
are the speaking of truth, the attainment of knowledge, the friendship 
of savants, the practice of morality, dominion over self, the discipline 
of mind, the magnanimity of heart, the instruction of science, and the 
habit of beneficence. These are the recognized ferries of the happy 
laud; but cities, rivers and tanks, which ignorance calls the holy places 
of pilgrimage, are only the pools of woe or the sloughs of despondence*. 


'( 7 ) 

25. The s ph'it of enterprise is preferable to resignation to decrees 
of 'fate, "which are no more than mere consequences of the acts of pre¬ 
vious lives ; because it modifies, and amends the entire series of the 
antecedent acts in the next life. The slackness of exertion spoils all 
•of them. Hence, the works of present life are more important than 
the whole and entire reliance on wholesale blind fate. 

26. The commendable conduct of man is shown by bis discrimi¬ 
nate treatment of merits, and sympathetic regard for pleasure ami 
pain, pro-fit and loss of others. The contrary course is reprehensible. 

27. The observance of ceremonial should contribute to the im- 
•provement of body, mind, a-nd spirit. There are 16 ceremonies from 
conception to cremation. These purificatory rites are binding on man. 
Aft^r cremation nothing should be done for the dead. 

28. The Yajna (worship) is the entertainment- of the learned in 
prop > Hon to their worth, the business of manufacture, the experiment 
and application of chemistry, physics, and the like arts of peace, the 
instructh of people, the purification of the air, the nourishment of 
"vegetables by'the employment of the principles of meteorology, called 
agniliotra in Sanscrit, which showers blessings all around. It is the 
■most important duty of man. 

29. The ancient usage demands attribution of the appellation, 
-called “ Ary a ,” to the best, and “ Dasyu to the vicious portion of 
liumarik i nd. 

30. India is called Aryavarfa, because the Aryan branch of the 
human race has dwelt there since creation. It is bounded on the north 
hy the Himalayas (the abode of snow), on the south by the Vindhya 
(the barrier of barbarians), on the west by the Attock (obstruction) or 
Indus (Luna), and on the east by the Brahmaputra (the sun of 
Heptane). The country within these confines is -called Aryavarta 
Proper, ami its permanent inhabitants, the Aryas. 

31. Tbe competency of the teacher is proved by his power to 
explain the science of the Vedas and their commentaries, and to reform 
the character of pupils through the salutary medium of the instruction 
of morality and the prohibition of immorality. 


( a ) 


32. The fitness of the pupil is shown in his love for the acquisi¬ 
tion of knowledge, his willingness to receive instruction, his reverence 
for learned and virtuous men, his attendance upon the teacher, and 
his execution of orders, 

33. The Gnru (initiator) is the father, the mother, the teacher 
of truth, and the corrector of misconduct. 

34. The proper Purohita (prophet or priest) is one, who cordially 
loves the good of his spiritual flock and preaches them virtue and truth. 

35. The Upadhyaya (professor) should be able to teach certain 
part of the Vedic lore or any other science. 

36. The Shisktachar (etiquette) is amiable behaviour with readi" 
ness to accept truth and to reject untruth, after a careful examination 
-of things by means of the octave evidence of logic, attentiveness to 
study in the bachelor life of school, and the general politeness of con¬ 
duct. These are the characteristics of the truly civilized man. 

37. The validity of the octave evidence of logic is unquestionable. 

38. He is good and wise, who always speaks truth, acts on the 
dictates of virtue, aud tries to make others good and happy. 

39. The five tests of knowledge are relative to the attributes of 
God, 1st. the philosophy of the absolute and the theories of the Vedas, 
2nd. the maxim of the ootave evidence of logic, 3rd. the laws of nature, 
4th. the rules of morality, and 5th. the principles of metaphysics. By 
these criteria distinguish between truth and falsehood. Then, abide 
by truth aud give up falsehood. 

4-0. Beneficence removes evils, introduces the practice of virtue, 
and adds to geceral welfare and civilization. 

41. The soul is free to act, but subject to the justice of God in 
reaping the fruits of its works. God is the executor of justice and the 
like laws of nature. 

42. The Swarga (heaven) is the uninterrupted enjoyment of 
pleasures and the possession of means thereof. 

43. The Narka (hell) is the excessive sufferance of pain and the 
surroundings of tormenting circumstauces. 


( 9 ) 


44. The Janmct (birth) is the entry of soul into the world in 
conjunction with the body. In relation to time, its existence is viewed 
as past, present, and future. 

45. The union of body and soul is called birth, and their separa¬ 
tion, death. 

46 Marriage (grasping of hands) should be performed in accor¬ 
dance with the precepts of the law, in the public manner, and with the 
mutual consent. 

47. The Niyoga is the temporary union of spouseless persons 
for the purpose of raising issue in the superior or one’s own tribe, 
on the death of the consort, or the sterility of energy in case of a 
prolonged disease, or on the like natural mishaps to humanity. 

48. The Stuti (definition) is the description of qualities for 
remembrance. It inspires love and the like generous feelings and 
sentiments. 

49. The Prarthana (prayer) is the asking of God the gift of 
knowledge and the like boons, on the inefficacy of one’s own exertions. 
It results in the humility of temper and the tranquillity of passions. 

50. The Upasna (meditation) is the realisation of the idea of 
God, through the confirmation of conviction, that He is omnipre¬ 
sent and fills all, that I am filled by Him, and that He is in me and 
I in Him ; and the imitation of God’s attributes in practice. The good 
of it is attested by the enlargement of mental capacity for knowledge, 

51. The Saguna Stuti (affirmative definition) is the assertion or 
recital of attributes predicable of God. The Nirguna Stuti (negative 
definition) is the negation or denial of properties inconsistent with the 
nature of Godhead. The Saguna Prarthana (positive prayer) is the 
supplication of Ghd’s grace for the obtainment of virtuous qualities. 
The Nirguna Prarthana (negative prayer) is the asking of God’s 
power in the elimination of vicious qualities. The Saguna Upasana 
^positive meditation) is the unshaken belief of God’s holiness. The 
Nirguna Upasna (negative meditation) is the total resignation of self 
to God’s justice and providence, 


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 


0 027 276 147 4 

( 10 ) 

Such is the summary of my beliefs fully explained in their appro¬ 
priate places in my books, called the 11 Satyartha PraJcasha ” (guide 
to true meanings), Bhumika (introduction to the Vedas,), and Bhashya 
(commentary on the Vedas). I accept such universal maxims as 
the speaking of truth and condemnation of falsehood. 

But I detest the religious warfare of sects; for, they give vent to 
their angry passions and crude notions in the form of religion. There¬ 
fore, the purpose of my life is the extirpation of evils, the introduction of 
truth tn thought, speech, and deeds; the preservation of unity of 
religion ; the explosion of mutual enmity ; the extension of friendly 
intercourse ; and the advancement of puolic happiness by reciprocal 
subservience of the human family. 

May the grace of the Almighty God and the consent and co¬ 
operation of the learned soon spread these doctrines all over the world, 
to facilitate everybody’s endeavour in the advancement of virtue, wealth, 
godly pleasures, and salvation, so that peace, prosperity, and happiness 
may even reign in this world/— Amtn. 





































